Soils are a vital resource, providing and regulating numerous ecosystem services (ES), but they are highly vulnerable to degradation. The inland region of the Iberian Peninsula is one of the most threatened by desertification, with high levels of aridity, risk of erosion and declining soil productivity. Paradoxically, this is one of the region’s most dependent on the ES generated by its natural capital. With the municipality of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo as a case study, Soil@INT proposes the development of an innovative system to remotely monitor soils, which is robust and low-cost, combining environmental data collected in the field (traditional monitoring), and high-resolution data obtained through remote sensing, using machine learning and artificial intelligence to detect, understand, predict, and act on soil degradation. Soil@INT will make it possible to monitor soil health in real time, define reference states, monitor changes, detect degradation at an early stage, evaluate the success of public policies and help define management and conservation actions. Soil@INT will provide the region with a system for the active management of natural capital, with a focus on sustainability, valuing ecosystem services and climate resilience.
